In prior art devices, and particularly those of the energy regeneration type, it has been known to bring contaminated fumes or odors into a combustion chamber for burning the same at a sufficiently high temperature that substantially all that is released into the atmosphere is carbon dioxide and water.
It has also been known that, in the passage of such gases into a combustion chamber, they can preferably and preliminarily pass through stoneware beds on their way to the combustion chamber, which stoneware beds have been preheated, so that they, in turn, can preheat the incoming gases so that combustion is assured as soon as the incoming gases pass into the combustion chamber. While generally, the principal combustion takes place in the combustion chamber, the gases can auto-ignite while still in the presence of the stoneware in the stoneware chambers if the gases contain volatile organic compounds. In any event, periodically, the flow, of gases is reversed, such that gases from the combustion chamber pass outwardly through the stoneware chamber, to preheat the same, as the products of combustion pass outwardly on their way to atmosphere. Generally such combustion processes alternate the flow through the recovery chambers on a regular basis.
An example of such a system is that which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,918 issued to James H. Mueller on July 22, 1975, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Another example of a device incorporating thermal recovery principles is that said forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,118, in which there is vertical flow through separate heat exchange sections that are separately constructed as individual units.
In many of today's manufacturing processes, and especially in order to meet air purification standards or the like imposed by government agencies, it is desirable to rapidly implement an incineration process and apparatus to purify exhaust gases. In doing so, the inherent delays caused by on-site construction may result in the failure to implement the necessary incineration apparatus on a desirable timetable, the inability to use or fully use the manufacturing equipment that produces the exhaust gases or in the dissipation of unpurified exhaust gases to atmosphere because of the inability to install a system in a timely matter.